It seems the Lib Dem hierarchy in Oadby and Wigston has decided to wheel out the big guns in the form of Helen Loydall (CC- Wigston Poplars) in an attempt to shore-up flagging support for their flawed and unpopular “Masterplan” for Oadby car parking spaces.
In a letter to the Leicester Mercury (21/8/12 p15 “Tories used meeting to mislead residents”, goo.gl/B3eQu ) Mrs Loydall complains that an open public meeting, organised by local MP Edward Garnier, attended by hundreds of concerned local residents, shopkeepers and traders was somehow party political.
In her letter, Mrs Loydall doesn’t admit to losing her cool, wagging a finger in the direction of the “Tory County Councillor from outside of Oadby and Wigston” (as she refers to him in her letter) barking at him “What are you doing here? This isn’t your patch.” Temper, Helen.
Oadby isn’t in Mrs Loydall’s County patch either, but that didn’t stop her from attending the meeting like the other concerned residents from Oadby, and from areas farther afield who come to shop in Oadby.
Mr Garnier attended and chaired the meeting as local MP, promising to hear all residents’ views and to continue holding meetings until as many local residents as possible could express their views as they wished. This is called democracy.
If the Lib Dems were telling the truth, they would admit that they have seriously underestimated the depth of feeling over their proposals for Oadby. This is why they have extended the consultation period (at huge expense) and why they have been panicked into flooding the Borough with taxpayer-funded leaflets explaining their reasons for the car-parking proposals.
Watch out for the next instalment in this saga - probably Bill Boulter CC, whose job it will be to keep pushing this boulder uphill.